


Mara and the Great Rebellion

by Virgomafia



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: Betrayal, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fate & Destiny, Lesbians in Space, Multi, Next Generation, Parent-Child Relationship, Sacrifice, Swords & Sorcery, Transformation, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virgomafia/pseuds/Virgomafia
Summary: Mara, the daughter of Adora and Seahawk is mysteriously transported to Etheria where she learns of the Horde's cruelty. When She-ra is left unable to fight, Mara must use the sword herself and rise up as Etheria's new hero.
Relationships: Adora/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Castaspella & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Evil-Lyn/Skeletor (He-Man), He-Man | Adam & Adora (She-Ra), He-Man | Adam/Teela





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering making Mara to be open for use as long as you follow these simple rules:  
> 1\. You credit me and ask permission before using her.  
> 2\. You won't use her in any pornographic stories  
> 3\. Your story most likely won't be a part of the canon unless it's that good  
> 4\. Your story will be added to a collection of Mara stories.  
> 5\. You notify me when the first chapter is published  
> What do you guys think? Is this a good idea?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough day, princess Mara sneaks out to try and find a solution to make everything better

Love works in mysterious ways, and that’s the hardest truth to learn. People spend their days sitting around waiting for their one and only to arrive, and that may be the case for some; while others find themselves having to work for it. Some have known love since the beginning, but there are still many that never experience it. 

Love. A strange, overwhelmingly warm feeling in your chest that is hard to understand at first. Love. It doesn’t always refer to soulmates; your parents, your friend, your child, and not all people understand that. She didn’t… At least not until it was too late. 

Looking back on those old days now, she can’t help but stifle a laugh at how silly she was. Despite everything that had happened, she was thankful for it all; as she held hands with her beloved. She could see starlight in their eyes, glimmering moondust in their hair, and feel their warmth everytime she embraced them. Everytime she gazed up at the starry sky, the memories played back in her head like a movie. Even now, as she was slowly, peacefully fading away with her true love by her side, she began to replay everything that happened from the very day it had first started…

-

Mara’s heart fluttered in her chest as she crouched down low in the only hiding place she could find. Her hands were clamped tightly over her nose, the strange scar she always had, and mouth to disguise her breathing. Sweat rolled down her forehead as her scarlet hair frizzed. 

Not even an hour earlier, Skeletor once again tried to take over Castle Grayskull and Mara was told to stay in her room for safety by her mother. In her mind, staying put was of no use. She knew how to fight. Her mother and aunt had both taught her quite well. Being admittedly stupid, she somehow managed to sneak past all the guards and out of the palace toward the fight with only a stun baton and a bit of fighting experience that was rather predictable. 

All that happened was she made a fool of herself, got thrown into a boulder, and Skeletor sent one of his minions after her to “take care of her”. The next thing she knew, she was hiding for her life. She painfully squatted down in a cluster of bushes. Her palms were sweaty, and her knees and ankles were tired. She knew one wrong move would get her caught, so she tried to stay as still and as quiet as possible. 

“Mara.” A voice said from behind.

The fourteen year old slowly turned around to see She-ra standing there with an extended hand. The warrior had grown a little stern with the girl over time, as this wasn’t her first encounter with Mara. Their hands met, and She-ra slowly helped the girl to her feet. 

“Are you alright?” She-ra asked.

“Yeah.” Mara replied, “I’m just fine. Never been better, y’know?”

She-ra gave the girl a small, barely noticeable smile. “Please go back to the palace for your safety.”

“She-ra, with all due respect,” Mara began, “I honestly don’t think I need to stay put. I mean, yeah, I know I just almost died, but I’m more prepared now. So don’t worry. I’ve got this!” 

“Mara-” She-ra tried to argue, but it was too late. Mara had already pushed past her to go straight into the heart of the battle, “Why can’t she ever stay put?” 

Mara continued closer but was suddenly grabbed by the wrist.

“You need to go back, Mara!” He-man told her.

“I know what I’m doing!” With much struggle, she managed to pull away, and right in the middle of the battle. “Hey! Guess who’s returned?!” 

Skeletor turned his attention to her. “Ah, if it isn’t the princess again.”

“Mara! You are to go home right now!” She-ra said as she raised her voice; something she rarely found herself doing.

“That’s me.” Mara replied as she ignored the hero behind her, “So you gonna fight me head on, or are you too scared I’d actually beat you? I mean, if He-man and She-ra have been doing it for years now, I’m sure I could manage.” 

“Why you little brat!” Skeletor exclaimed. He pointed his Havoc Staff toward the girl.

Mara held out her stun baton with her thumb just centimeters from the button. Both weapons began to glow as Skeletor let out a laugh. Mara stayed prideful as she pressed the button.

-

Mara had been sitting in her room for the past fifteen minutes. She held an ice pack on her swollen cheek, and a bandage lying across her neck bone. After an embarrassing loss, she had been ordered to stay put and wait for her mother. She bit the skin around her dry lips as she silently cursed herself for being such a fool. As much as she expected failure at that point, she still wanted to prove she was at least capable. Her cheek was numb from the ice pack that was slowly melting, dripping down onto the collar of her blue jacket with the golden clasp.  
The door opened, and she quickly averted her indicolite eyes to her brown, fur trimmed boots. 

Adora entered the room with her arms crossed. She struggled to stay content with the situation. Over the years of motherhood, she had grown a bit of a temper; especially with Mara’s constant stubbornness and hyperactivity. 

“Mara.” She said as she knelt down to her daughter’s height, “I was told you disobeyed direct orders and got yourself in an extremely dangerous combat situation after being asked repeatedly to retreat.”

“I was only trying to help. I mean I have the experience.” Mara replied. 

“You were extremely reckless and put yourself in unnecessary danger.”

“But fighting is supposed to be dangerous. How am I supposed to actually learn if I’m stuck inside every time there’s even a little bit of action?”

Adora rose up. “I’m getting increasingly tired of your back talking.”

“Why are you even forcing me to train if you won’t let me fight?!” 

“That’s enough!” Adora said as she had completely lost her temper. “You are grounded!” 

Mara stood up. “Mom!” She exclaimed, “You never let me do ANYTHING!” 

“We aren’t having this discussion. You’re acting immature.”

“I’m the one acting immature?! You’re literally grounding me for having emotions!”

Adora put her foot down. “Go to your room this instant!”

Mara waved her arms around angrily. “We’re literally in my room right now!” As Adora began heading out, Mara muttered, “At least Dad isn’t nuts.”

Adora turned around swiftly. “What was that you said?”

“You heard exactly what I said!” Mara shot back.

“I’m tired of your attitude! You are fourteen and you need to act like it for once!”

“What?! So act like someone else?! All I’m doing is being myself! So what if I’m not the perfect daughter you expected when I was born?! At least I’m not a snobby WITCH unlike you!” 

Adora was beyond finished with the conversation as her rage took her over. “Three months and that is final!” She left the room and closed the door to take a deep breath. She took a moment to compose herself. She had spoken out of blind rage and had no intention of ever losing her temper to begin with. Between being She-ra, her husband out sailing again, and her hyper daughter, she constantly felt a weight on her shoulders.

“You yelled at her again, didn’t you?” Someone asked. 

Adora looked up at Man-At-Arms. “I’m afraid I did. I’m trying so hard not to lose my temper at her.”

He smiled at her. “Teela went through a rebellious phase at around Mara’s age. Sometimes she needs a good lecture and discipline here and there.” 

Adora let out a small giggle. “You’re right. But too bad her father never punishes her. He spoils her rotten every chance he gets.” Unlike her, parenting had made Seahawk extremely soft.

Man-At-Arms laughed a little at the remark. “Have you given him a word about it?”

“Oh, absolutely. But my attempts only have the opposite effect. But she is...” Her mind temporarily flash-backed onto the unforgettable night.

Man-At-Arms understood immediately. "They won't get to her again."

-

The sun had only recently retreated into the night under an hour ago. Mara hadn’t left her room, not even for dinner. Just the thought of looking at her mom made her very rageful. Her stomach rumbled, but she didn’t budge. She deeply wished her father was home to be on her side. 

Suddenly she heard a rustle and shot up like a startled deer. She grabbed her stun baton and neared the source of the noise: the window. She could see the end of a rose protruding from the outside, and quickly grabbed onto it and pulled. This was something that actually happened quite often. 

Slowly a boy climbed up and into the room. He took a moment to catch his breath. “Wow, Mara. Took you long enough.” 

“Oh, shut up, Claymore.” Mara replied, giving him a small shove. She threw herself onto her bed dramatically and let out a groan.

“What happened? You look pretty rough.” Her friend, Claymore pointed out.

“My mom grounded me.” She said, her voice muffled by the pillow she had stuck her face in. “That’s what happened.”

“This about the thing you did during the battle today?” Claymore asked as he sat beside her casually.

Mara let out a groan and turned on her back. “I was only trying to prove that I can do this! But my dumb mom acts like I can’t do anything because I’m just some dumb princess!”

Claymore let out a laugh. “That’s honestly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I just want a break. A chance to prove myself, but, like, I don’t know. Somewhere else. I wanna go somewhere else, my mom comes after me to probably yell her pants off at me, then gets in trouble herself or something, and I save her. Then she’ll finally see my worth.” 

A smirk formed across the boy’s pursed lips. “I think I might know how to help you out. I know a place I can take you. So let’s go.” 

“Did you forget I’m grounded?”

Suddenly someone knocked on her door. “Mara?” Adora said on the other side, “Are you in there?”

“Uhh..” Mara stood up and threw her blanket over Claymore to cover him up. She ran over to the door and opened it just a crack to see her mother. “Everything’s fine,Mom. What do you want?”

“Is somebody else in there with you? I heard voices.” Adora questioned with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.

“Nobody else is in here with me. Can you just leave me alone?”

“I don’t appreciate your tone right now, young lady.” 

Claymore listened as he tried laying down as flat as possible. Adora and Mara yelled at one another for about a minute before Mara yelled, “I DON’T CARE!” And slammed the door. She yanked the blanket off of him. “I’m in.” 

Before leaving, Mara took a moment to get ready. She reattached her golden ear cuff on the top of her right ear, clipped her silver choker from her dad around her neck, and latched on her fingerless gloves tightly. Most importantly, she readjusted her black and purple hair pick that she had seemed to own her entire life, and could never convince herself to part with it for some reason. “It’s go time.” She said with a smile and a small fist pump.

“You finally ready, princess?” Claymore asked with his arms crossed.

“Yep. Let’s get outta this dump.” Mara replied. 

After triple checking that the coast was clear, the two slowly climbed out of the window, and snuck off palace grounds. They nearly got caught once, but were overall successful. They ran off into the woods, holding hands while laughing a ton. 

“Okay, where are you even taking me in the first place?” The girl asked.

“Just to a friend that can help you out.” Claymore casually replied.

“I’m not even allowed to go that far in these woods. My mom’s gonna kill me.”

“Not after you save her.”

“Uhm, you’re underestimating her love to yell at me.”

“Ugh.” He put his hands behind his head with his elbows out and casually leaned back. “You’re so paranoid. What? Worried she’s spying on your or something? Worried she planted a listening device or tracker inside you?”

“Really? Why would I be worried about that? You’re making it sound like I’d actually let her touch me.”

“Would you take ‘em out yourself if she did?”

You know me too well.” Mara giggled.

The walk continued on with a little bit of random conversation here and there. It seemed to get darker outside, and Mara’s eyes began to mistake dark shadows as cryptids. She twiddled her thumbs to keep her cool while Claymore purposely tried to scare her.

“Who’s this friend of yours you’re taking me to?” Mara asked as she started to feel uneasy.

“You’ll see. We’re almost there.” Claymore said and descended into the shadows.

Mara felt her heart pound. Something didn’t feel right. Something told her she was doing the wrong thing.

“Today, princess!” Claymore called out to her. Mara realized she was just being paranoid, and ran to catch up with him. He was stopped before a cluster of trees. “Here we are. Just go in there, and you’ll be good to go.”

“It’s not gonna trap me, is it?” Mara asked, “You know I’m claustrophobic.”

“Apparently you’re momphobic too. Especially if getting even more grounded is stressing you out this much.”

Mara let out a small, frustrated grumble. “I hate it when you know me so well.”

She slowly entered the cluster of trees, and it was extremely hot and cramped. It was pitch black, but she knew she wasn’t alone in there. She looked around in the darkness. “Who’s there?” Her hands were shaky. Butterflies filled her stomach. She struggled to grab ahold of her weapon. “Okay. Claymore, this isn’t funny!” Her voice was breaking as she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She struggled to get to the exit, and suddenly felt a pair of arms grab onto her. 

“You’re not getting away this time, child.” A harsh voice said.

Mara suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up in a strange place, Mara makes a few new friends, and gains a new enemy.

The first thing Mara saw upon regaining consciousness was the sun overhead. Tall grass scratched at her cheeks as small rocks beneath her dug into her back.

Squinting, she sat up and put a hand to her sore head. She gazed around to find she was in the middle of an unfamiliar field. “Where on Eternia did I end up?” She wondered aloud. It took a moment for her to get to her senses. “I gotta get home! Mom’s gonna ground me for the rest of my life!” 

“Hey! You!” Someone said.

Suddenly the tip of a sword was just inches from Mara’s thoat. She crawled backwards with a bit of a yelp, but whoever it was holding the sword got closer. She looked up to see a girl glaring down at her. She had dark skin caressed by many scars all over her face. She had long, wavy black hair pushed back out of her face. She had burning red eyes, her left sclera black. Her muscles were quite defined. She shone like bismuth beneath the sun.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The girl spoke harshly, “This is Horde territory! Do you understand?”

“I’m sorry.” Mara said as she stood up, “I, like, just woke up here and I’m really confused, and-”

“I don’t care. You need to leave this territory now or I’ll have no choice but to arrest you! Do I make myself clear?”

“R-right!” Mara laughed nervously, her cheeks a bright red. “I was just leaving. B-bye!” She started to walk away when the girl’s harsh voice stopped her.

“Wait!” The stranger demanded, “Tell me. Are you with the rebellion?” 

“What? Rebellion? No, of course not.”

The stranger grabbed onto Mara’s collar tightly. “Very well. If I find out otherwise, I’ll personally make sure you rot in the dungeons of the Fright Zone for all eternity.” She let go of her and walked away. “By the way, the name’s Vila. Don’t you forget it.” 

Mara was a bit intimidated, but wasted no time sticking her tongue out at Vila and running from the so-called “territory” she had woken up in for some odd reason. The farther she went, the less familiar her surroundings became. She began to wonder if she was actually still on Eternia. 

“Hello?!” Mara called out, “Is anyone here? Mom? Dad?! Claymore?!” Her voice echoed for miles, but not a single soul seemed to notice her or really care all that much. She put a hand on her grumbling, empty stomach. “Figures I guess…” She muttered, and continued on to find at least something.

-

Shadow Weaver stood perplexed in Horror Hall. She had felt a very familiar presence on Etheria, but couldn’t find anything. Soon enough she was notified of the return of her apprentice, and teleported herself to Hordak’s throne room. 

Vila knelt down before Hordak respectfully. “Lord Hordak.” She stood up with perfect posture, and not an ounce of emotion was seen on her face.

Hordak looked down at the girl before her. He knew of Vila’s loyalty to the Horde and her mad pursuit of power. She was his current Force Captain, but was nothing like Adora. She had gotten herself quite a handful of punishments over the past years under his wing. “Force Captain Vila. You’ve returned from your scouting mission. Was the land completely empty?”

“Aside from one person, yes.” Vila replied, “But that has been taken care of.”

“Did you take this one person to the dungeons?” 

“That was unnecessary. She wasn’t a rebel, and will not be a future threat to our cause.”

“And how are you so sure of that?”

“I trust my own judgement. This girl was extremely disoriented, and didn’t try to fight back. I don’t think she was of this realm.”

Shadow Weaver’s eyes widened. “Not of this realm, you say?”

“That is correct, Shadow Weaver.” Vila replied.

Hordak snorted and stood up. “Force Captain! Next time there’s an intruder, you are to send her to the dungeons immediately! No matter how foolish they may seem! Do I make myself clear?!”

“Of course, Lord Hordak.” Vila replied.

“You are excused!” 

Vila left the throne room after a single nod. She didn’t look back once. 

“Mighty Hordak, I’ve sensed a very familiar presence on Etheria that came from another world this morning.” Shadow Weaver said once Vila had gone.

“Familiar? In what way?” Hordak asked.

“Why don’t I show you?”

Shadow Weaver summoned a vision of a girl with red hair as she walked around, seeming totally lost. “Doesn’t this stranger remind you of someone?”

Hordak’s eyes widened. “Adora! How dare she return to Etheria?!”

“But mighty Hordak, that isn’t Adora, but instead someone just as valuable; her daughter.” 

-

Mara felt as though she’d been walking for hours. Her feet hurt, and she was beginning to feel quite nauseated. “Okay!” She exclaimed, “This isn’t funny anymore, Claymore! Come out and tell me where the heck I am!” After receiving no answer, Mara let out a small grumble and continued on. 

Her surroundings slowly began to change, becoming more woodsy and mystical. Trees towered high overhead. She felt something rather magical in the air. Sunlight peeked through the trees, showering down upon her like summer rain. Wherever she had ended up was far more beautiful than anything she’d ever seen on Eternia. 

All of a sudden she felt something tighten around her ankle, and the next thing she knew, she was hanging upside-down. She let out a short scream, and took a few moments to process her situation. “Oh, come on!” She exclaimed. SHe felt the blood rush to her head and fingertips which didn’t help with her nausea. She tried to reach up to grab the branch the rope had been knotted around, but to no avail. She soon began to hear a pair of voices ahead.

“I know what I heard.” The first one said.

“Well there’s nothing in this direction! So can we just head back to camp?” The other voice replied.

Suddenly two people came into view; a boy and a girl who seemed to be arguing.

The boy turned his attention to Mara and his eyes widened. “A Horde soldier!” He exclaimed, “I told you I heard something!” 

Mara struggled to free herself when the girl came over with a glare. “So, tell me Horde soldier. What are you doing on the edge of Whispering Woods?” The girl asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mara replied, “Could you let me go now?”

“Nice try.” The boy said, “So please answer our questions.”

“Or we’ll make you.” The girl added as a ball of light appeared in her hand. 

Mara let out a sigh. “I already told you, I was just passing through when I got stuck in this trap. So could you please let me go? And I’ll be on my way.”

“Yeah, sure. Probably back to the Fright Zone!” The girl exclaimed, “Lance, do your thing!”

“You got it.” The boy, presumably Lance replied. He pulled out a strange, iridescent boomerang and aimed it toward Mara. “Let’s hope this works.” He threw it.

Mara protectively held her arms over her face as best she could, and felt a strange, tingling sensation spread through her whole body. Something immediately felt different.

“That was a truth spell.” The girl said.

“I call it a trutherang.” Lance said.

The girl rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. “Anyway, You’re now inclined to tell the truth, so there’s no point in fighting it! Now tell me why are you here?!”

Mara found the strange magic take over her mind, and found herself saying, “Okay, so I was just casually chilling with my friend, then the next thing I know I’m in some field, then this girl yells at me, so I left and I’ve been trying to find my way back home, but I don’t think I’m on Eternia anymore, and now I’m stuck in this trap!” She took a deep breath. “Okay. Are you happy now?!”

The two strangers looked to one another and whispered to each other for a moment before turning back to Mara. 

“Okay.” The girl said, “We’ve decided to trust you, but only under one condition: you join the rebellion. Got that?” She held her hand out.

“Yeah, got it. Please just let me down!” Mara said, as she was completely exhausted. She shook the girl’s hand.

“Hold still.” Lance said, and pulled out a boomerang with blades at the end. Mara shielded her face when he threw it. The boomerang cut the rope, and mara fell to the ground with a hard thud. Lance ran over to her, kneeling down and untying the rope around her ankle. “Are you okay, miss?”

“Yeah.” Mara replied as she caught her breath, “I’m just fine.” 

Lance helped her onto her feet with a smile. “I’m Lance, and this is Vivacia. She’s the leader of the rebellion against the Horde. How about you?”

“I’m Mara.” Mara replied. 

“Let’s go already, Lance!” Vivacia demanded, “We’ve got lots of work to do.” She narrowed her eyes at Mara and started walking.

“Stick with me, and I’ll help you out.” Lance said with a smile, and led her into Whispering Woods. 

-

Shadow Weaver furrowed her eyebrows beneath her hood as she spied on the three from the Fright Zone. “I can no longer spy on the girl, as the rebels have taken her into Whispering Woods.”

Hordak blasted at the wall. “Those blasted rebels! Get my force captain in here right away!”

Just under five minutes later, Vila entered the room. “Lord Hordak, you wished to speak with me?”

“Remember that girl you foolishly let go?! Lure her out of the woods and bring her to me!” Hordak demanded with a snort.

“But Lord Hordak, I don’t think she’s-”

“It doesn’t matter what you think! It’s very crucial to the Horde that she’s brought here! Unless you want to face punishment again!”

“Of course not, great one.” Vila replied. Her scarred face slowly shifted into a grin of determination. “I’ll bring her here, no matter what it takes.” 

-

“We’re here!” Lance exclaimed, “Welcome to the rebellion camp.”

Mara looked around. The camp was pretty small with only about ten other people. Growing up in a palace all her life, she was quite surprised at the change in scenery; she actually liked how subtle it was. 

“Come on.” Vivacia said. She pulled Mara and Lance along with her to the biggest tent on the grounds. Once they were inside, she turned to Mara with her arms crossed. “Where are you from exactly?”

“Eternia.” Mara replied as casually as she could with how hungry and tired she was.

Vivacia raised an eyebrow. “Eternia? Well this is Etheria… So that means… Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! You’re from another planet?!” 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Mara replied, “Like I said before, I just woke up here. I don’t remember what happened. I have no idea how I could’ve possibly ended up here. Either I somehow got onto a spaceship, flew it, landed it on this planet, walked onto some field, fell asleep, then woke up with no memory of what happened! Or someone brought me here using magic! But the only people who I know have that kind of power are the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull who I’ve, like, never met, or-” Suddenly her eyes widened upon realization as she remembered the events of the previous day. “Skeletor!”

Vivacia raised an eyebrow, and turned to see Lance had left the tent. “Uhhh… Are you okay?” 

“What? Me? Yeah! For now, sure! But once my mom finds out that the guy who’s been terrorizing my home has sent me to another planet, she’s totally gonna FREAK!” 

Vivacia took a deep breath as she got an idea. Being the leader of the Great Rebellion was a lot of work. She didn’t have her mother to help her too much, as she was usually extremely busy being queen, and her father hadn’t come home come in years. She was really trying her hardest to hold her own against the Horde, but it felt like their forces kept strengthening everyday. “You know how to fight, right? Like fist to face combat and stuff?”

“Yeah.” Mara replied.

“Look, if you help us fight the Horde, we’ll help you get home. I know this is out of nowhere, and I’m just some random stranger, but even a little help is better than none. So please?”

Mara’s eyes lit up. She was surprised that someone actually wanted her to fight. “Oh my god! Yes! I’d love to help you guys out!”

“Seriously?! Please tell me you’re not joking!”

“Of course not! I’d be honoured!”

Vivacia smiled big. “Thank you! You have no idea how much this helps!” 

Suddenly the communicator went off and Lance ran inside to turn it on. Vivacia peeked over his shoulder.

“Tango hotel india sierra india sierra lima alpha november charlie echo oscar foxtrot tango hotel echo romeo echo lima lima india oscar november.” Lance said without error, “Location, situation, pronto.”

“Tango hotel alpha yankee mike oscar romeo.” The voice on the other end said, “Hotel oscar romeo delta echo alpha tango tango alpha charlie kilo.” 

“Oscar november oscar uniform romeo whiskey alpha yankee.” Lance said and turned off the device. He turned to the two girls in the room. Mara raised an eyebrow, and Vivacia just shrugged along. She had no idea how the strange secret code worked. “Vivacia! Mara! The Horde’s attacking Thaymor! We need to get there now!”

“You ready for your first mission?” Vivacia asked as she looked at Mara with a smirk.

“You betcha.” Mara replied with a giggle.

“Then let’s go!” 

-

Vila looked around the village as she waited for the arrival of the stupid and rather pointless rebellion. She had a mission, and she swore she would do whatever it took to get that girl to the Fright Zone. She knew what happened when she was disobedient, and had been shown far too many times. It took her years to finally make it to the top, but she still had farther to go. 

“They’re here.” A robot told her.

“Perfect.” Vila said, and quickly ran to the scene. There before her stood three people that she never remembered the names of. Boomer boy, Glitter pants, and the girl she was supposed to capture. She felt everything was falling into alignment.

Mara looked at the girl standing before her and immediately recognized her as the person she saw in the field earlier.

“Something told me you were a rebel.” Vila said, “So that only means one thing: you lied to me. But I never lie. As I promised, you’ll be rotting in a prison cell for all eternity.”

“You know her?” Lance questioned.

“Kind of.” Mara replied, “I guess we met once in passing.”

“And she didn’t kill you?”

With a shrug, Mara simply shook her head in reply.

Vila looked at the three. “Now I’ll give you a choice. You either surrender or I make you. Am I clear?” 

“I don’t know.” Vivacia said with a smirk, “You should probably lighten up your terms. But I am a kind-hearted rebel, so I’ll give you a hand!” An orb of light formed in her hand, and she threw it at Vila, temporarily blinding her.

Vila let out a frustrated grunt, and charged at the three. She formed a spell circle, creating a fire spell. Lance threw a boomerang into the flames which extinguished them. The boomerang landed back in his hand gracefully. Vivacia started blasting glitter and sparkles at Vila who created a reflective spell. Before she could be hit, Vivacia teleported behind her foe and grabbed onto her, pulling at her hair. Vila grabbed her by the collar and slammed her hard onto the ground. 

“I don’t have time for this!” Vila exclaimed, and charged at Mara.

Lance tried to throw a boomerang at Vila, but she caught it and threw it back harshly and trapped him in a net. As Lance tried freeing himself, Vivacia struggled to stand up. Mara glared at Vila.

“Are you finally going to surrender yourself?” Vila asked as she readied an emblem for a spell.

Without a word, Mara charged at Vila, punching and kicking while all of her attacks were blocked with a shield spell. Vila grabbed Mara’s ankle with a tight grasp. There wasn’t an ounce of emotion in her burning eyes as she glared down her enemy. Using her other hand, Vila pushed Mara against the side of a building with an emblem just inches from her chest. Mara used all her strength to try and push her away, but growing weaker with each second.

“What happens when ice hits stone?” Vila asked, “It cracks, so there’s no point in fighting anymore. Surrender yourself to the Horde, or I won’t hesitate to snap your neck in half and bathe in your pain.”

Pushing her foe away as best she could, Mara asked, “What happens when said stone gets stunned? Well why don’t I show you?” She pulled out her stun baton and hit Vila’s side. “Oh, and the name’s Mara.”

Vila fell to the ground as she let out a cry. She struggled to stand back up. “Get them!” She ordered the robots accompanying her. 

By that point, Lance had already freed himself and helped Vivacia back onto her feet. The three rebels stood together as the robots charged at them with freeze rays.

“Now!” Vivacia ordered. All in unison, She shot a blast of glitter, Lance threw a bomberang, and Mara shot her stun baton at them. All the robots had been broken down. “You’re outnumbered, Vila.”

With a frustrated growl, Vila exclaimed, “I will be back! And I won’t leave empty handed.” She disappeared into the Horde vessel and left the village.

Mara just stared in the distance, with widened blue eyes. Her heart pounded like never before as she was overwhelmed with an unfamiliar high.

Suddenly Lance threw her into a tight hug, and pulled Vivacia in as well. “Dude! That was awesome!” He exclaimed, “You were so cool out there!” 

“That was the coolest thing ever!” Mara said as her eyes filled with stars, “I think I’ll extend my visit for a little longer. I’m in no rush to go home.” 

Vivacia giggled. “Welcome to the Great Rebellion officially.”

As the three started heading for the woods, Lance stretched his arms up. “Is it just me or are you guys starving? Let’s hurry on back to camp and get some grub!”

-

Vila fell to knees as Hordak blasted her in the shoulder, but she was quick to get back up.

“You dare return empty handed?!” Hordak exclaimed.

“Not exactly.” Vila said as she held out a red lock of hair in her palm. “I was able to get a hold of this. If we wanna catch her, We need to at least play around with her.”

“What’s a measly bit of hair going to do anyway?!”

“It will make casting spells on her far easier than before.” Shadow Weaver said.

“Then get to it!” Hordak demanded, “Do whatever it takes to bring her to me! WHATEVER IT TAKES! Adora will finally take a hard hit once she learns what’s coming for her daughter!” He let out an evil laugh that echoed across the Fright Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about that god awful fight scene. Writing fight scenes is extremely difficult for me, but here's to improving in the future!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vila and Shadow Weaver change Mara and She-ra's life forever.

Adora had been filled with anxiety the past few days. The last thing she expected to wake up to was her daughter absent from palace grounds and seemingly Eternia all together. She felt like she had scoured the entire planet twice. Awful scenarios kept eating away at her. She had used the tracking skills she had learned in the Horde, but still felt completely useless. She was constantly assured that Mara was safe or most likely with a friend, and that she’d be back in her own time. 

Suddenly she felt a strange but familiar feeling in her sword and unhilted it. She saw the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull appear in the gem.

“Adora.” The Sorceress spoke, “Come to Castle Grayskull at once. I may have important news of your daughter’s whereabouts.”

Adora took a steady breath. “I’ll be there right away.” She responded.

-

“She was real mad at me.” Mara said with a little giggle, “Then she stood in front of me and said, ‘I forbid you from taking another step down these stairs.’ So what did I do? I jumped out the window.”

“What does that have to do with getting a broken arm?” Vivacia questioned.

“Well I broke it after jumping out the window.” Mara replied casually.

“I can’t believe you actually had the guts to do that!” Lance exclaimed.

“Well Mara’s not afraid of heights.” Vivacia said.

It had been a fast three days since Mara had joined the rebellion. From the moment Lance declared Mara their friend, she felt like she belonged. She had little to no friends on Eternia due to how strict her mother was when it came to boys (even if she didn’t have that kind of attraction toward any of them), and the fact that she was a princess. Everyone regarded her as precious and a pearl. Yet when she told Vivacia and Lance of her royal bloodline, they just shook it off with the knowledge that Vivacia was a princess as well. The most they said was how interesting it was that they had that in common. 

“How do you not feel queasy when you’re really high up?!” Lance asked as he grabbed onto Mara’s shoulders, “What’s your secret?!” 

Mara giggled a little. “I don’t know. I guess I climbed lots of trees as a kid. And I mean LOTS! Almost everyday from when I was four all the way til I was nine, I climbed the highest tree I could find until either my mom or auntie yelled at me to get down.” 

“Did you ever make it to the top of one?” Vivacia asked with a glint of curiosity in her eye. 

“Nope.” Mara replied, “But I definitely tried. Man, you’re lucky your mom isn’t strict. I mean she’s letting you lead the rebellion. My mom would kill me just for thinking about it.”

Vivacia let out a laugh. “My mom may not be as strict as yours, but she’s still definitely strict.”

“Sounds like our moms should start a club.” 

The three shared a laugh. Mara never felt like she had belonged before, at least not until she met Lance and Vivacia. She felt like nothing could take her away from her current state of euphoria. 

\- 

Focusing hard on her magic, Vila created an emblem unlike anything she made before. The magic inside was very strong, and could cause irreversible damage if she cast it on the wrong person.

Shadow Weaver circled her as she looked at the emblem. She noticed how strange the combination of spells that were used and nodded. “How can you be sure it will work?”

Vila didn’t even look at her mentor. “Simple. Because I casted it. And even if it doesn’t, there’s no better person than her to test it out on.” 

“Very well. As long as you’re actually putting all of that power you acquired to use.”

“You’re making it sound like I have regrets for what I’ve done.”

Shadow Weaver cut the emblem in half. "You may not have regrets now, but you will later. Even I have regrets sometimes!"

"Yeah? Well I'm nothing like you." Vila glared her mentor down, and didn't budge or flinch when a blast was cast toward her; just missing her. 

"You are expected to show a little more respect!" Shadow Weaver exclaimed, "Especially with such a grand failure under your belt." 

"Well that failure won't last. Like you told me before, someone's gonna come to Mara's rescue. With this spell, we'll be taking care of both of them with one hit." 

"I expect nothing but success from you, Vila."

"And that's what you'll be receiving." 

-

Adora had soon arrived to Castle Grayskull, and stood before the Sorceress. 

"Adora." The Sorceress said, "I believe I've discovered the whereabouts of your daughter."

"What happened?" Adora asked with desparation.

"I believe she's been taken through a portal and ended up on Etheria."

Adora's eyes widened. Etheria… It had been so long since she and Seahawk had left for Eternia and stayed. 

"You need to make a decision, Adora. Are you going to go after her?" The Sorceress asked. 

Adora took a deep breath. "Yes." 

-

Mara climbed a tree alongside Vivacia while Lance remained at camp as not to get himself involved. 

"I was wondering." Mara said as she reached out for a branch, "Who's Vila and what's her deal?"

Vivacia looked at her. "Oh, that's quite a story." She continued to ascend. "Rumour has it she wasn't always a powerful sorceress. She seeked out power to help out her village, and got Shadow Weaver of the Horde to mentor her. She felt like she wasn't learning enough, and began to crave magic. And in order to achieve that, she slaughtered her entire family… Sorry. That took a dark turn."

Mara blinked. The thought of someone doing something so awful for power… It just didn't make sense to her. "Dang." 

"I know, right?"

Mara climbed a bit more, and soon enough lifted herself onto the top branch to sit. She looked out. "Woah…" The view was beautiful, nothing like she'd ever seen. Vivacia sat beside her and looked at the view with her. 

"Isn't it beautiful?" Vivacia asked, "I come here often."

"I don't think I'd ever see anything as beautiful as this on Eternia…" Mara whispered. 

Blushing, Vivacia looked over at Mara. The wonder in her eyes was absolutely stunning. She soon found her head leaning on Mara's shoulder. "I think I'll give you a bit of a geography lesson." 

There they sat for about an hour as Vivacia talked about everything all over Etheria. Time seemed to go by extremely fast, and decided to climb down finally. 

Mara slowly lowered herself down as she searched for a branch to put her foot on. 

"Mara!" A voice exclaimed. 

Mara lost her footing and her fingers slipping. She let out a scream as she fell downward. 

"Mara!" Vivacia shouted. She teleported to Mara, grabbed onto her, and teleported the both of them to the ground. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah… Thanks." Mara said with a smile. 

As the two stood up, someone approached them. When Mara saw her, her smile dropped completely and she stayed very close to Vivacia. 

"There you are, Mara." She-ra said, "I'm glad you're safe."

"Yep. I'm safe. So?" Mara replied with her arms crossed. 

"It's time to come home. Your mother has been extremely worried about you."

"Oh… Well you can tell her I'm okay. But I'm not going back."

"Mara, you don't have a choice. You need to come home immediately." She-ra tried to grab onto Mara's wrist. 

Mara took a step back. "I'm not coming back and that's my decision." 

She-ra took a deep breath as she struggled to keep her patience. She knew Mara was going to be stubborn one way or another. "I'm serious."

"Yeah. Me too." Mara replied. "If it's that big of a deal, then just come back for me later because I'm staying." She clutched tightly onto Vivacia's shoulder. Her legs were shaky. Her stomach was filled with butterflies. In a puff of pink glitter, the two girls disappeared.

After reappearing back at camp, Mara fell to her knees and took a deep breath of relief. 

"Mara!" Vivacia said, "What happened?! Who was she?! Are you okay?!" She had only teleported them away after sensing Mara's discomfort.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Mara said with a small smile. "I just- I don't know."

"Who was that?"

"She-ra… She's kind of the protector of Eternia along with He-man I guess. And I guess my mom sent her to come find me. So thanks, Mom."

"Don't you like her?" 

"Not really. I mean she has saved me, like, lots of times, but that doesn't exactly mean she's nice. At least not to me. So why should I respect her if she won't respect me?" She stood up. 

"Why don't you just tell her that?" Vivacia asked. 

"Because she'll tell my mom, and then I'll get yelled at."

Vivacia wished she could sympathize with Mara and understand how she felt. Instead she smiled. "Guess what? Me and Lance will help you out." 

Lance came over. "You're back! Perfect timing!"

"Something happening?" Vivacia asked. 

"The Horde is putting the entire village of Thaymor under arrest unless we surrender!"

"Then let's go!" 

Together, the three headed to the battle without a clue of what would be coming. 

-

She-ra was left to stand in the woods as she ran her fingers through her hair. She was trying her best to not to lose her temper. She knew how dangerous and devastating the Horde could be, and didn't want Mara to feel any of the pain she'd been exposed to. She made a quick decision to find her daughter before the worst would come. 

-

As dust blew around her, Vila practiced her emblem one last time. Shadow Weaver had apparently sensed a portal open, and made a huge deal about it being time. She was pulled to the place she had been defeated a few days prior. "Something tells me you're jumping the gun here." She muttered as she cleared the emblem away. 

"You're underestimating their foolishness." Shadow Weaver replied. 

"Who else are we waiting for exactly? And how do you know it'll actually work on them?" 

"Just trust me."

"Whatever." She crossed her arms, "Let's just get this over with."

-

Soon enough the rebels arrived to Thaymor, but didn't see the Horde anywhere. In fact the village looked completely deserted. 

"Am I the only one getting a bad feeling about this?" Lance asked, "Maybe we should get out of-" He let out a shout as he was stunned. 

"Lance!" Vivacia ran to his side and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

Mara turned around to see Vila standing there, but nobody else. There wasn't a vessel nor a single robot. "You!" She exclaimed. 

Vila leaped over and smirked at the girl before her. "Hey, Mara."

Mara charged at her and kicked her in the chest. "So where's your army?"

Vila continuously blocked every hit that Mara sent her way. "Oh you mean those useless tin cans? Never needed 'em. But you? You're actually valuable." 

"Glad someone sees my worth!" She saw an opening on Vila's left side, and aimed. 

Then she was suddenly pulled back as someone grabbed onto her right, and she let out a frustrated grumble. 

"You're safe now." She-ra said. 

"I had it, She-ra!" Mara exclaimed as she pulled away, "So let me go!" 

"Mara, you don't understand." She-ra said sternly.

"What?! That the Horde is dangerous?! I kinda already caught on!" She looked out at Lance and Vivacia struggling to hold their own against Vila. Mara freed herself from She-ra's tight grasp. "I'm not the type to give up mid-fight!" Pulling out her stun baton, she charged at Vila. 

"What? You gonna use that thing on me again?" Vila laughed, "Good luck."

She-ra grabbed onto Mara's arm harder than she had intended. "Mara, you need to trust me and come home!" 

Mara struggled to free herself, wincing at the pain. "Maybe for once you need to listen to me!"

Vila looked at the situation before her. The 2 random people that were there for some reason were both weakening, and that weird tall lady with Mara seemed to be very protective of her. The situation in her mind was more than perfect. "Yo, Mara. I've got a present for you." She formed the emblem she'd been practicing. "Hope you like it." She cast the spell. 

Mara held her arms protectively over her face, and was suddenly thrown back as She-ra stood in front of her to take the full impact of whatever dark magic that Vila had conjured up. 

She-ra dropped to her hands and knees as she felt the magic of Grayskull drain from her. Her transformation was forced away. She wasn't given time to hide

"Go help your friend!" Lance said to Mara, "We'll take care of Vila."

Mara nodded and ran over to She-ra's side. "She-ra!" 

Slowly Adora lifted her head with much struggle. "Mara…"

Mara's eyes widened as she felt her stomach drop. A sudden fear and realization filled her. Her mother was She-ra. "Mom!" She grabbed onto her hands and helped her stand up slowly, but Adora just fell to her knees. “Are you-”

Adora nodded weakly. “Yes. I am.”

“Since when? How? Why? Who-”

"I’ll explain everything later." Adora assured her, then looked down at her number fingers to a horrifying sight: her fingertips were made of stone, and it was slowly spreading up. Her heart had never beat so fast before. She struggled to hold back the tears in her eyes. She had never felt so scared for her daughter’s life before. The Horde had put her, her family, and friends through a lot, but never anything like this. 

"What's going on?!" Mara asked worriedly.

“I don’t know…” Adora said, trying to stay alive for as long as possible. She had to fight whatever curse was engulfing her, but it just continued to spread up no matter. At that point, her hands and forearms were solid as stone. She felt like there was nothing she could do, and knew Mara and her friends would be arrested as soon as she was gone. She noticed the two others with Mara were beginning to struggle in defending themselves. Then her eyes slowly travelled to the Sword of Protection on the ground, and had an idea that she wasn’t exactly sure would work. “Mara, the sword.”

Mara looked down at it and picked it up. “What about it?”

“I need you to-” Adora felt a sudden burst of pain shoot through her body as the curse began taking over her legs as well. “There isn’t much time. In short, I need you to become She-ra. Just long enough to get the Horde out of this village.”

“I don’t know… You were right about me. I don’t know what I’m doing. I never should’ve disobeyed you. I just-”

“I know I can be extremely strict, but I'm only trying to toughen you up because the universe is dangerous, and you need to be ready. But I know you can do this. You are the most determined and capable person I know. And I know whatever decision you make will be the right one.”

“But what about you?” 

“I’ll be just fine knowing you’ll come out victorious.”

“Even if I’m just a stubborn, disobedient brat?” She smiled slightly.

“Especially.” She chuckled a bit. “All you need to do is raise the sword up and say ‘For the honor of Grayskull’ and you’ll transform. And hurry. Your friends need you.”

-

Vivacia threw a blast of pink glitter at Vila before collapsing out of breath. Lance ran to her side. “What are we gonna do? I’m almost out of magic.”

“I don’t know.” Lance replied, “I’ve tried every boomerang I got. And Mara’s still with She-ra.”

“You know what you’re gonna do? You’re gonna be arrested and be sent to the Fright Zone prisons for life.” Vila said as she stepped forward with an emblem. Before she could cast the spell, she was suddenly thrown back as someone stood in between her and the rebels.

Lance and Vivacia looked up to see a woman standing before them as her long scarlet hair blew in the wind. She seemed to be at least eight feet tall, and emanated a soft glow. She turned away from them and began walking toward Vila as her golden heel boots clacked with every step. She clutched a sword tightly in her left hand and white and red cape tied around her waist flowed beautifully behind her. 

Lance’s mouth gaped open. “Is… Is that-”

“Yeah…” Vivacia replied, “I think it is.” 

Vila was quick to rise to her feet upon seeing the warrior before her. She drew her sword, and the woman held out hers. Their blades clashed multiple times. Eventually Vila had had enough, and drew an emblem. She sent a ball of fire raging at her opponent, but it was cut in half by the strong blade of a silver sword. The warrior grabbed tightly onto Vila and pinned her to a wall. She put the sword to her throat and leaned on her enough to potentially crack her ribs.

Using as much strength she could, Vila did her best to push back. Out of breath, she smirked and said, “You might wanna go check on your friend because you’ll never see her again.” 

Suddenly the glow around the woman faded as her eyes widened. She let go of Vila, and her transformation dropped as she ran to Adora. 

“Mom!” Mara exclaimed as she dropped to her knees and threw her arms around her. 

Adora was almost completely stone. She was extremely weak, was in extreme pain, and had immense trouble breathing. “Mara…” She said in a near whisper. “I just need you to know… I love you.” The transformation had completed, and her body went completely cold. 

“Mom?” Mara said, “Are you still there? Mom, please. Tell me you’re still here!” Her voice cracked as she struggled not to cry. “Mom!” She wept, holding the statue that was once Adora very tightly. 

“You can take over from here.” Vila said, “I’m heading back. This is a waste of time.” She conjured up a spell and disappeared.

Shadow Weaver smirked beneath her hood and stepped into the light.

Upon seeing her, Vivacia went to charge, but Lance held her back so as to not cause more trouble. 

With a snap of the evil sorceress’ fingers, Adora disintegrated into nothing but dust, and blew away with the wind. A dumbfounded Mara stared at her arms as tears of fear and anger poured down her face. “No…”

Shadow Weaver chuckled at the girl’s pain. “What a sad little rebel. You just lost your mother and you’re forever stranded on another planet.”

“Bring her back…” Mara demanded through gritted teeth and tears. She wanted to stand up and fight, but had no more motivation left.

“Now, child. I’ll show some remorse and give you back your beloved mother. In fact, you two will be closer than ever.” She let out a laugh and a small ball of light formed in her hand and Mara looked up in utter fear. “Do you have any clue what this is I have here? This is your mother’s soul, and it’s forever going to be yours to set an example for what happens when you rebel against the Horde.” 

Lance and Vivacia watched in fear as Shadow Weaver blasted the light in her hand at Mara, but she didn’t seem to take the hit. Instead she strangely absorbed the magic through her glabella, and her chest began to glow. When the magic was finished, the light on her chest formed into an emblem. 

“You’re welcome.” Shadow Weaver said with an evil laugh and disappeared in a puff of swirling black smoke. 

Mara looked down at the emblem on her chest. It resembled something reminiscent of a heart. It was glowing and purple. She went to touch it, but her fingers went right through it as if it were a hologram. It was strangely warm and had a heartbeat. She realized what Shadow Weaver had meant: the emblem was her mother’s soul forever imprinted on her. “Mom…”

Lance and Vivacia ran to Mara’s side and hugged her. Mara wrapped her arms around them as tears poured uncontrollably down her face. 

“Are you okay?” Vivacia asked.

“Yeah.” Mara replied as she looked down at the sword.

“You were so cool out there like that!” Lance exclaimed, “How did you do that?”

“I just held the sword up and said stuff and I became She-ra. But now I guess the sword is mine. And I don’t know what to do! I can’t contact home, my mom’s stuck, and the Horde! I-”

“Hey! Mara! Mara!” Vivacia put her hands on Mara’s shoulders. “It’s okay. Lance and I will help you through this.”

“Yeah.” Lance agreed, “We’ll get your mom back and help you get home as soon as possible.”

“No.” Mara said, “I’m not gonna go home. My mom’s gone and was in pain the whole time, and it’s all because of the Horde.” She stood up and looked at the sword. “I pledge my loyalty to the Great Rebellion against the Horde, and I won’t be going home until they’re defeated.”

“Mara, we can’t make you do that.” Vivacia said.

“No. I want to.” Mara said with a smile. 

“Well, we’re more than glad to have you with us.” With a bit of a giggle, she put her arm around Mara's waist.

Mara looked down at her mother's soul and touched it once again. "I promise I'll bring you back no matter what it takes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to incorporate the cheesiness from the 80s while also having the seriousness from the 2018 show. Also I'm going to be drawing the characters. Who do you want to see first?


End file.
